Goat-herd pie
Instead of lamb this recipe uses goat meat for a leaner version of a traditional shepherd’s pie that’s very tasty indeed. You can, of course, still use lamb if you prefer.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, de-stringed and chopped
- 125g/4½oz butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
- 500g/1lb 2oz goat mince
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped green olives
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 150ml/5fl oz red wine
- 150ml/5fl oz beef stock
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
- 1kg/2lb 4oz floury potatoes, such as King Edward, peeled and cut into chunks
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 25g/1oz crumbly goats' cheese, crumbled
- 25g/1oz parmesan, finely grated
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
To make the filling, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions, celery and squash and cook gently for about 10 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.
Put the garlic in a pestle and mortar with the sea salt and crush to a paste. Add the anchovies and bash to form a rough paste. Add this mixture to the pan of vegetables. Cook gently for about five minutes, stirring, so the anchovies begin to ‘melt’. Remove the contents of the pan to a bowl, leaving any oil behind.
Increase the heat under the pan. Add a little more oil if necessary, and half the mince. Cook, stirring, until it is browned, then add it to the vegetables. Repeat with the remaining mince then return all the meat and vegetables to the pan.
Add the olives. Stir in the tomato purée and flour and cook gently for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the rosemary and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper (if needed – the anchovies are already quite salty).
Transfer the meat to an oven dish with around 1.2 litre/2 pints capacity.
For the topping, put the potatoes in a pan, cover with water, add a little salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain well, then mash them or push through a ricer back into the hot pan, and stir in the butter.
Spread the mash over the meat in the dish. Combine the crumbled goat’s cheese and parmesan and sprinkle over the potato.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and crusty and the filling is bubbling.
Leave to stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
